Turtles & Tortoises of the World (Of the World Series) (Paperback)

by David Alderton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This title covers all the world's chelonidae - the turtles, tortoises and terrapins, and includes information on all the important conservation aspects, such as the pet trade in small tortoises and destruction of the sea turtles' egg-laying beaches.

About the Author
David Alderton is a noted writer on the living world. He is active internationally in conservation matters, especially CITES and its work on the protection of the world's threatened species. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Blandford (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713723912
• ISBN-13: 978-0713723915
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,269,618 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book would be your first book to the world of turtles., April 5, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

A concise yet comprehensive book on this diverse and fantastic group of animals. The author has succeeded in giving us an overview of almost all species of turtles in very readable text, even for the layman. The book wrote not only on the bare classification materials but also supplemented with many interesting facts about turtles. Although photo is not for every species, it does cover many of them and the quality is good. I think this book will lead you to discover more about turtles. It's the book you have to read before reading Dr. Pritchard's classic "Encyclopeida of Turtles". Highly recommended.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scientifically-Oriented and Comprehensive but Lacking, January 28, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

The author does a wonderful job of examining the lifestyles and mating habits of a broad range of turtles. Chelonians (turtles and tortoises) are thoroughly examined here. In fact, there is so much information packed into these pages that it can become slightly confusing as the author jumps from one species to another while discussing a single topic.

As a resident of Florida and an avid scuba diver, I was extremely disappointed to discover that there were no photos of the four most common marine turtles found here. I had hoped for, and sorely needed, photos of each along with some kind of guide on how to distinguish between them. In this regard, this book falls woefully short. There are, however, plenty of photos of hard-to-find, freshwater turtles from remote places on the globe that practically no one will ever see. At least the book didn't cost much!